I was tempted to make popcorn as I scrolled through intense Twitter debates over Easter weekend about whether it’s necessary to have a literal resurrection of Christ- and whether those who see it as metaphor "count" as Christians. I was under the impression that a literal resurrection was one of those "non-negotiables" when it comes… Continue reading How essential is the resurrection?
Category: Theology
For the Christian whose testimony is “different”
There are a lot of articles out there for Christians whose testimonies are too "bland." For the person who grew up in a Christian home and answered an altar call at the age of four, who can't remember a time in their lives when they weren't Christian, they often wonder: how can I make an… Continue reading For the Christian whose testimony is “different”
Yom Kippur and #MeToo
I never liked Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, growing up. Jewish holidays can best be summarized as “They tried to kill us, we survived, let’s eat,” and thus tend to be joyful occasions, but not this one. It’s a somber day of reflecting on our sins and making amends with the people we’ve hurt.… Continue reading Yom Kippur and #MeToo
Key theological differences between Judaism and Christianity
Much of my work consists of pointing out the ways that Jews and Christians can learn from each other, based on their shared history in Scripture. Today, however, I want to point out some of the ways that the two faiths differ in their theologies. These differences go a lot deeper than simply “Jesus” and… Continue reading Key theological differences between Judaism and Christianity
Jewish Resources for Christians
There are some books I make a point of rereading on a regular basis, and Mudhouse Sabbath by Lauren Winner is one of them -- a short but profound book on certain Jewish rituals and practices that Christians can learn from. Her memoir Girl Meets God was also the catalyst that inspired me to write… Continue reading Jewish Resources for Christians
Why the Anglican church?
One thing that scared me away from the chaplaincy program at seminary was the requirement of having the support of a specific denomination. I lived under the “It’s not a religion, it’s a relationship” banner at the time, so the thought of having to align myself with a “religious” label abhorred me. My academic adviser… Continue reading Why the Anglican church?
Seeing the Bible the way we do people
Lately I’ve been thinking about how easy it is to judge the entire character of a person based on an isolated comment on social media – especially if it’s related to politics. All the assumptions you can make, the stereotypes, the judgments, come easily. Intent and inflection are utterly lost. I was talking to my… Continue reading Seeing the Bible the way we do people
The problem with Christian seders
The observance of Passover seders in churches is a fairly recent trend, as more Christians seek to connect with the Jewish roots of their faith. While this may seem like a good idea, most Jews are in agreement that the seder meal is better left where it began: within Judaism. Of course, there is nothing… Continue reading The problem with Christian seders
Surviving the latest schism
In November 2016, my faith took a hard nose dive. It was going that direction already, after a difficult season at a conservative seminary and acknowledging hard questions I couldn’t find sensible answers to. But if there’s one thing that really threatened to destroy it all, it was seeing a group of people, supposedly united… Continue reading Surviving the latest schism
“You can’t sit with us,” Jewish edition
For a magazine whose demographic is liberal Jewish women, I was rather surprised by the responses to the article “Please Stop Asking Me ‘Are You Even Jewish’?” that was recently shared on Lilith's Facebook page. The author, Alyssa Weinstein, was raised by interfaith parents: an Episcopalian mother, and a Reform Jewish father. Though Weinstein’s mother… Continue reading “You can’t sit with us,” Jewish edition